https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/our-research/drive-unit-for-digital-innovation/the-clinical-insights-unit-ciu/
The Clinical Insights Unit (CIU)
The Clinical Insights Unit (CIU) uses advanced data analytics to support operational decision making at GOSH. The team is made up of data scientists and analysts who work with operational and clinical teams in the hospital to increase the accessibility and utility of Electronic Patient Record (EPR) data. By partnering with the clinical and operational teams, the CIU can understand their needs and build digital tools to enable data-driven decision making to help run the hospital.
Using ideas and data to transform processes
The CIU engages with idea submitters from the Trust to understand their ideas for improving clinical or operational processes. Our secure Data Research Environment (DRE) allows the team to rapidly collect and analyse data from the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) to define the nature and scale of the opportunity.
Project ideas that show evidence to improve experience or outcomes for patients and clinicians, or lead to financial or time savings, can then be taken forward and implemented at GOSH.
Bridging the gap
The CIU team is made up of a Lead, Project Manager, Operational Analysts, Data Scientists, an EPR Designer and the Trust's Deputy Chief Research Information Officer.
The team works closely with 10 Innovation Officers, who are embedded across the Trust in clinical and operational roles. They are ambassadors for innovation and act as change makers in their clinical and operational teams. The Innovation Officers support work across the whole of DRIVE, but work particularly closely with the CIU.
Examples of CIU projects
At GOSH, many of the children we care for have rare or complex diseases, which require rare medication treatments. The CIU team have been developing useful datasets to look at existing patterns in the administration of these rare medications.
By identifying these patterns, we can create reports which indicate where medication administration could be optimised. With this we aim to improve clinical outcomes for our patients and build evidence bases for the on-going use of these medications.
When patients come in for operations or procedures, they will often be discharged to go home on the same day after a short stay on a ward. These types of admissions are known as ‘day cases’.
The CIU team have been combining multiple data elements to build a picture of how day cases currently run at GOSH. Then, by creating simulations of day case processes the team can predict the impact that operational changes could have on flow.
This will allow operational and clinical teams to identify areas for improvement and test operational ideas for increasing bed availability for patients, enabling data-driven decision making.
The CIU team have been using algorithms to identify over-testing patterns in GOSH lab test requests and the associated costs.
Using these results, the team can help to optimise interventions and measure success of changes in practice, which can lead to measurable reduction in over-testing. This in turn could lead to better patient experience and cost savings within the Trust.
Meet the Innovation Officers
“As Innovation Officers we bridge a gap between clinicians and data teams to ensure that data is used in the best way to keep children central to everything we do, benefitting both healthcare professionals and patients. I’m also hoping this role will allow me to support my colleagues and patients by improving inefficient processes that have developed over time.
Meeting so many people, with different knowledge and experience, makes for a very productive brainstorming and working environment. Everyone is so passionate about utilising DRIVE and the CIU to benefit care at GOSH and beyond.”
"As a clinical research physiotherapist, my work spans clinical care and research around patient outcomes. Data-driven care is a large part of this role, so working with the Innovation team is an exciting opportunity to not only harness data for improvements to healthcare, but also to optimise workflows and systems.
As an Innovation Officer I am excited to contribute to the GOSH DRIVE team and Clinical Insights Unit to further bridge the gap between data and clinical care to support the delivery of efficient patient-centred care at GOSH."
“My goal as an innovation officer is to bridge the gap where healthcare frequently falls behind societal progress, particularly in data-related areas.
What excites me about DRIVE and the CIU is their ability to bring together diverse expertise! The crucial step is to work together with our healthcare professionals, patients and families. Positive change requires a clear purpose and sense of urgency first.
My primary focus is on advancing Human Phenotype Ontology tools, ensuring a universal language for describing clinical signs and symptoms in children with rare diseases.”
“Working in a speciality which is predominantly outpatient-based, EPIC has been a transformative tool for effective and secure communication between the organisation and patient’s families. I enjoy being part of a team encouraging expert users to think of ways of using data to support service development.
I am particularly excited about the potential for using AI to produce clinic letters during consultations which would be game changing. Capturing information accurately in real time means we can concentrate on the important part which is the patient and their family.
Along with the Endocrinology division, I want to focus on nursing services for both the clinical nurse specialists and Nurse Education teams, as they have plenty of ideas and years of experience and many just need to know that DRIVE is available to everyone.”
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“I have always been interested in the application of innovative technologies in healthcare. The DRIVE unit is exciting as it’s a unique team that integrates clinicians with data scientists to solve real life clinical problems, a first of its kind for paediatric medicine in the UK.
Through data analysis and technology, I hope we can help to drive clinical decision making and find solutions to make processes easier for clinicians, which ultimately could improve outcomes for our patients!”
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